


The Time Fate Lost

by Cazio



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Angst, M/M, Oneshot, Soulmates, Thorki - Freeform, Thunderfrost - Freeform, barista!thor, coffee shop AU, not your typical coffee shop au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-16
Updated: 2013-09-16
Packaged: 2017-12-26 18:24:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/968845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cazio/pseuds/Cazio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki chances on a Starbucks on a rainy morning and meets a barista worthy of a Calvin Klein photoshoot. Maybe a dozen. He's nice, charming, able to read Loki within five seconds of seeing him. They instantly connect.</p><p>Loki just has one problem: he's married.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Time Fate Lost

**Author's Note:**

> soul mate: a person with whom you have an immediate connection the moment you meet -- a connection so strong that you are drawn to them in a way you have never experienced before.

Loki was glad to be embraced by the familiar scent of coffee grounds and away from the depressing atmosphere outside. He closed his dripping umbrella and placed it by the door, just daring someone to try and steal it. After checking his phone for water damage and adjusting his shopping bags, he felt ready for his morning coffee. Everyone always said it wasn’t really worth it to have coffee after being awake for three hours already, but Loki needed it to power through the rest of the day.

With his attention on the screen of his phone, Loki waited in the scant line of people who were on their third or fourth cups of the day—judging by the red-rimmed eyes and impatience. Loki smirked to himself, glad he didn’t rely on caffeine to wake him up.  Vakr said he was addicted to plenty of other things, but Loki still thought himself above the typical person. And besides, sugar was hardly an addiction.

Once the rush from escaping the rain wore off though, he felt empty again. Retail therapy sometimes helped, but the rain had done away with the effects that day. Things weren’t going well at home and his heart just ached. To put it simply, he was lonely. None of his friends or Vakr were texting him back either, which didn’t help his mood.

When he got to the front of the line, Loki put his phone away and glanced up at the menu as though he hadn’t been to a Starbucks before. Old habit.

“Hi, I’d like a—“

Suddenly his cashier wasn’t there anymore. A tall, blonde, absolutely stunning man was standing there instead. Loki blinked, momentarily silenced by the man’s perfect smile. The smile of a male model, really. And his arms—oh.

“Hey,” said the gorgeous man. “I’ll be taking your order today, if that’s okay.”

Loki blinked a few more times, finally registering that this man worked here. For some reason Loki expected him to be working for Calvin Klein or something. Not as a Starbucks barista. He fished for his phone on instinct, just to pretend he wasn’t awkwardly staring.  He cleared his throat.

“Yeah, that’s fine.  Chai tea latte please. Two shots.”

“We’re out of vodka today,” the man said with a grin that seemed to have been designed to exude both masculinity and a crushing amount of charm. Loki relaxed. Despite the pretty face, this man was just like every other cocky asshole he’d ever met. Loki knew he was attractive—he’d certainly experienced his fair share of corny pick up lines and ass grabbings.

“Two shots of espresso,” Loki said slowly, eyes ever so slightly narrowed.

“I’d better make it myself then. Sometimes my coworkers try to slip in some booze anyway.”

“I bet you’re just an expert at sniffing it out,” Loki replied tartly, handing over his credit card.

“Loki? I like your name. It has a nice cadence.”

“Please swipe the card and stop memorizing the number, will you?” Loki snapped. He was pretty sure guys like this one had no idea what ‘cadence’ even meant. But no one had ever complimented his name before, aside from the occasional ‘nice name’s that he used to get at parties.

“I’m Thor,” the man said as he handed back the card. “Just so you know who to write a scathing employee review about.”

Loki couldn’t fight back his lip curling in distaste. This guy was definitely a master at his trade, that was for sure. Thor. Thor was a master at his trade.

“I’ll be sure to do that.”

But as he moved over to wait for his drink with the crowd of other impatient customers, Loki couldn’t help but appreciate the way Thor’s muscles moved as he shook up the ingredients and added them one by one to a cup. The profile view of his smile had the same effect as it did full-on, and when he laughed about something his coworker said, Loki looked down at his hands to remind himself that this Thor was just a cocky jerk. Loki was just his current prey.

A few minutes later and Thor came over with a fresh chai tea latte.

“I made sure to put two shots of espresso in there. Oh, I got you this too.” He handed over a gift card.

Loki snatched his coffee and the card, not about to pass up Starbucks money even if it had Thor’s number  and a bunch of scribbles written on the back. “Thanks.”

He sipped his latte and half expected to find that there really was vodka in there, but he’d watched the whole process of making it just to ensure he wasn’t about to be drugged or something.

He sat down for all of thirty seconds before Thor sat down across from him, his apron gone and his somehow masculine v-neck only doing good things for that chiseled body underneath. 

Loki narrowed his eyes. “Do you want something? Because if you don’t, I’d appreciate if you left me alone.”

Thor attempted to disarm him with a wide grin and a chuckle. Boy, were his eyes blue.

“Just wanted to talk to you.”

Loki clenched his jaw, laying both hands flat on the table. “I’m married.” Two rings to prove it. An engagement ring with tasteful diamonds that Vakr had been so freaked out about offending him with that he almost hadn’t got the ring at all.  And the gold wedding band they’d chosen together, both of their initials engraved on the inside.

“I saw that,” Thor said, not even glancing down at his hands.

Loki huffed, letting his frustration show a little. “So are you looking to start an affair or what?”

Thor chuckled. “I don’t think your wife would be very happy with me if we had an affair.”

Loki just couldn’t read this guy and it was really starting to eat at him. “Husband. I have a husband.”

That earned him an eyebrow raise. “Really? Oh, sorry then. I guess that is an engagement ring, huh?”

Loki retracted his left hand and took a long sip of his latte.  He didn’t like this Thor or their conversation. His heart was racing purely from discomfort…right?  “Let me get this straight. You’re flirting with me and giving me gift cards with your number on them, but you don’t want to start anything.”

“Right,” Thor said, as though this were simple. “You’re hot, you know.”

“I’m married,” Loki snapped, flashing a snarl.

Thor just smiled at him. “Just because you’re married doesn’t make you any less hot. Unavailable, but not unattractive.”

Loki was just a little bit caught up in how Thor’s skin looked like he’d just bathed in honey. Tan, a little shiny with sweat (in a very good way) and just…masculine. Vakr was buff too, with strong arms and a broad chest that Loki was looking forward to collapsing into once he got home.

“I’m flattered,” he finally said, though he clearly didn’t mean it. “Now you can go back to work and leave me alone.”

“I just took the afternoon off.” Thor leaned over sideways to eye the bags at Loki’s feet. “Need help carrying those?”

“I’m good,” he hissed, but it was lacking the usual malice.  It returned in a split second. “Look, you can take your arrogant, cocky attitude, get the fuck up out of that chair, and go back to your laughable barista job. I’m sure even with your stunted intellect you can figure out that I don’t want anything to do with you.”

He’d been too harsh, but he didn’t care. Not until he saw the lights go out in Thor’s eyes. The broad grin was swept away and replaced with downturned lips and a tight jaw. Hurt. Even Thor’s proud chest seemed to deflate, as though Loki had just poked a balloon.

Thor stood up, rubbing the back of his neck. “Um, did you read the card?” he asked.

Loki shot him a look, then pulled the card from his wallet. On the back was Thor’s number and a hastily written: ‘You looked like you were having a shitty day.   If you need a friend, call.’

It was Loki’s turn to tighten his jaw, but when he looked up Thor was back at the counter, slipping his apron over his head. Loki watched him pause, look down at his cheap plastic nameplate, then clench his jaw tightly. Loki realized that Thor hadn’t thought his job to be laughable at all. He’d liked his job—giving people their caffeine and making their day just a little brighter. Thor slipped his hat back on that was just a little too big, yet somehow improved his appearance when coupled with that loose, messy bun. Now though, it didn’t look so good. _Thor_ didn’t look so good.

Loki rubbed his collarbone, wondering why insulting this man was upsetting him. Thor was just another idiotic gym-going type who had given him a gift card as a front, just to make him feel guilty. Yes, that was it. It was an elaborate guilt trip.

Yet he found himself watching Thor again and noticing the warmth and brightness that was now missing.

He got up out of his chair and approached the side of the counter not used for ordering or handing out drinks, bags and latte in hand. Thor approached and didn’t even look like the same person. He just looked…normal. Like ever other tuckered out minimum-wage worker at every other store in the mall. All in the span of a minute or two!

“Hey,” Loki said quietly.

Thor didn’t look at him and as the silence grew, Loki noticed that Thor was staring at the caramel syrup and shaking a little. That’s when he noticed the moisture welling up in Thor’s eyes. Just a little bit, but enough to make them glassy in the shadow of his hat.

“I’m really sorry,” Thor said after a few more moments. “I didn’t mean to come on to you like that. I just wanted to…You looked like you wanted someone to talk to. I just wanted to help.”

Loki’s heart tore itself to shreds at the shaking of Thor’s beautifully smooth baritone.  How in hell had this man evoked such an emotion from him? They’d known each other for less than twenty minutes! But something about Thor seemed familiar, palpable in a way that he couldn’t explain. It was something he’d never felt with Vakr.

“And that was really nice of you. I mean it. Nobody’s ever done that before—I just thought you were trying to get in my pants.”

Thor blinked, then looked up. “It won’t happen again. I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.”

“That’s not…” Loki trailed off, pursing his lips. “I’m sorry for being so mean. I’ll make it up to you.” He never said sorry. Vakr had even learned to not expect it anymore. Yet here was a total stranger receiving a genuine apology. 

Thor still didn’t smile, he just nodded his head and turned around to go make some more coffee. Loki parted his lips to call after him, but couldn’t find the words. He left the Starbucks after grabbing his umbrella and turned around at the door to find Thor watching him leave. Thor quickly looked away, somehow deflating even more from getting caught.

 

* * *

 

“I thought you never got coffee this early,” Vakr said with a chuckle as Loki tugged him along. The fall rains had turned to winter snow—making Loki all the more delighted to be out and about.

“I’m feeling spontaneous,” Loki said, turning around to walk backward and look at his husband. Vaker had such nice eyes. Hazel with flecks of blue and green and a little black dot near one of his pupils that neither of them could explain.

“Does this have anything to do with last night?” Vaker asked, flashing a cocky grin. Loki swatted his arm, but laughed as he was pulled in for a kiss.

“Maybe” was all he said once their lips parted. Loki laced their fingers together once more and walked into the Starbucks, kissing Vakr’s cheek as he did so. Vakr had some stubble now, as per Loki’s insistence.

“I’m starting suspect you’ve found my stash of heroin,” Vakr joked, squeezing Loki’s hand. Loki just gave him a sidelong smile and looked over to the counter.

Thor was there, focused on slicing a loaf of banana bread for one of the dessert display cases. His hair had evidently been put up too quickly, for there were a few wavy blonde strands hanging out.  He looked up and Loki’s heart momentarily stopped when those blue eyes met his and a smile appeared on Thor’s lips.

“Hey,” Thor greeted, putting down the knife in his hand. “Loki, right?”

Loki knew Thor was just pretending not to remember him. He had to be. Loki hadn’t visited this Starbucks since the day they spoke. Thor actually remembered hi—

“They know you? Jeeze babe, how often do you get coffee here?” Vakr laughed, looping his arm around Loki’s waist.

Loki smiled at him, leaning into Vakr’s side as they approached the counter. “This is Vakr. My husband.”

Thor extended a hand across the counter. “Nice to meet you. I’m Thor.” Then he went right back to work cutting the banana bread. Loki frowned. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting to happen here, but the way things were currently going just didn’t feel quite right.

“Can I get a chai tea latte?” Loki asked. He smiled. “With two shots of espresso, not vodka.”

Thor licked his lips and stepped back from the banana bread. No smile. No joke or hint that he even remembered that conversation. “Sure thing. Would you like anything, Vakr?”

“Uh, I’ll have a cake pop. I love those things. No coffee.”

Thor turned to start making Loki’s coffee and Loki found himself getting frustrated. Thor was supposed to be…charming or something. Not this.

“Something wrong, Lo?” Vakr asked, rubbing the base of his spine. Loki shook his head.

“No. I’m just tired or something.” He tipped his head up to give his husband a kiss. “I need my coffee.”

Thor came back a few minutes later with a wrapped cake pop and a chai tea latte. “Here you go guys. On the house.”

“Whoa, thanks man,” Vakr said, putting away his wallet. He noticed that Loki was staring and cleared his throat, giving Loki a kiss on the temple. “You two catch up. I’ll get us a table, love.”

Vakr always knew just what Loki needed. He gave his husband a grateful smile, but when he turned back, Thor was cutting up banana bread.

“So are you just not going to talk to me today or something?” Loki said, crossing his arms.

Thor cocked a brow. “Sorry? I’m talking to you, Loki.”

“Not like last time.”

Thor dipped his head once, biting his lip. “Yeah, not like last time. I learned my lesson, okay? I’m sorry about that.”

Loki didn’t even know what to say. What was there to say anyway? That he hadn’t stopped thinking about this stupid guy for two months? He loved Vakr, his husband. But Thor, in the half hour or so that they had been around each other, Loki had been stricken with some sort of Thor virus.

“I like you a lot, you know. Ever since you were…so nice to me. I needed that,” Loki said quietly.

“Sure didn’t stop you from—“

“I know what I said. I apologized for that.”

Thor shook his head. “You were right though. I had to drop out of graduate school two weeks ago. You were right about the job too. Can’t exactly pay tuition on minimum wage,” he murmured, looking down at his hands. “Wasn’t worth it to pay for an average GPA.”

Loki’s throat tightened. “I didn’t mean that. I told you I didn’t mean that.”

Thor laughed. “I know you didn’t mean it, but you still said it. It’s fine, really. Just made me think about a few things.”

“Like what?” Loki asked, surprised by how tiny his voice sounded.

“I’m moving out in a week or two. Gotta help my dad run his business in New York.”

Loki realized then that this would probably be the last time he ever saw Thor. The stupid guy at the coffee shop. The handsome, funny guy at the coffee shop. “So I won’t see you again?”

Thor chuckled, shrugging. “No, probably not. You never know though. I think everyone meets someone for a reason, so maybe we will.”

Loki gave a tiny smile. “Yeah. Maybe next time we’ll get to have those two shots of vodka instead of espresso.”

The smile that made Loki uncomfortably happy appeared on Thor’s face again with a booming laugh. “That sounds like an excellent plan. See ya, Loki. Enjoy your coffee.”

Loki made sure to stuff a ten in the tip jar before leaving, much to Thor’s insistence that he didn’t need to do it. A repayment for the gift card, Loki argued. He then joined his husband at the table and gave him a fond kiss.

“All caught up?” Vakr asked, chewing on the stick of his cake pop.

No, Loki wanted to answer. “Yup” was all he said before sipping at his latte. They watched people walk around the mall, playing people watching games while Loki traced circles on his husband’s palm.

“Look at those two, Lo,” Vaker said, pointing to a woman in a bright green coat passing a guy in a white sweaer with a new soda stain all over the front. The woman stopped walking and turned around to help the man clean up the spilled drink. A little boy clung tightly to the man’s jeans, obviously scared of the stranger in her big sunglasses.

“She just got out of a divorce and has a ton of money,” Loki offered.

“And he’s a construction worker with a son who likes to look at the bottom of cups and spilled them all the time,” Vakr added.

Loki chuckled. The woman was laughing as he sopped up more soda from the floor.  “They’re soul mates,” Loki said after a moment.

“Not quite.” Vakr’s gaze went to a well-dressed man who joined the fray, his hand on the woman’s back. He had a ring. “Look’s like the divorcee isn’t divorced just yet.”

Loki took another sip of his latte, watching as the three started talking. “Just because she’s married doesn’t mean that the construction guy isn’t her soul mate.”

Vaker raised his brows, nodding. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. Sucks for her husband though.”

Loki laced his fingers with his husband’s, squeezing tight. “No, I think it’s worse for her. She loves her husband, but she has to know that Construction Guy is her real match. How could you choose?”

Vakr didn’t say anything; he just looked out at their three current people-watching victims as the husband and wife introduced themselves to the little boy. "I guess you’d just have to forget about your soul mate. Take solace in the fact that you brushed paths, you know? Not everyone gets to win that coin toss.”

Loki looked down at their hands and jumped a little when Vakr’s lips touched his for a deep kiss.

“I found you though. I won.”

They kissed again, but Loki’s eyes stayed open, wandering to Thor who was scrubbing at the inside of a blender. A man with no more ties. No more graduate school. Nor more life here. He was entirely focused on washing a blender at his coffee shop job in a city he would leave in a week.

Thor had lost the coin toss. Part of Loki had lost it with him. 


End file.
